


Kilngons in Discovery. More likely then you think!

by GRIMMInsanity



Series: Star Trek World Building [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Considerations, Headcanon, Klingons, Let's talk about this, Meta, Opinion Oriented, Small Essay, Teen due to some cursing!, There are also pictures!!!, please?, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 18:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12488484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GRIMMInsanity/pseuds/GRIMMInsanity
Summary: A bit of information and headcanon I put together and posted on tumblr due to the fall back of what people thought of the Klingons in Disco.(updated from my tumblr posting with some new ideas and more pictures!)





	Kilngons in Discovery. More likely then you think!

Okay, but like.  
  
Can someone explain to me why there’s so much hate for the design change for the Klingons?  
  
I personally find them extremely interesting to look at, designed a lot more alien than before, and their armour is utterly stunning? Like, just, wow???  
  
I mean, I get it, they’re not humans painted up to look different like in TOS, nor are they Klingons like Worf in TNG, or the pierced design in the AOS movies, but in my mind, I VERY much picture them to be Klingon like any other Klingons shown in the series., and BOI AM I GONNA TELL YOU WHY I THINK THAT.

             

( _look at these handsome bois, all of them are the best._ )

* * *

There was often times that people attempted to connect Klingon from TOS to the ones that were shown later with brow ridges because we as humans like continuity and want everything to flow together. However, it was hard to get a concrete answer to why exactly Klingon ended up looking as different as they did compared to their first version.

Some content in the form of the canon novels, however, may have given us an answer!

Keep in mind, this is what I know of the novels and, from my understanding, is considered canon since it was brought up in or hinted at in other media.

In them, it was stated that there was a type of Klingon augment virus that spread through a large portion of the population due to Klingon researchers attempting to create a strong, better Klingon by bio-engineering them.  Through the use of human augment embryos left over from Earth’s eugenics wars that were found in a hi-jacked Klingon bird of prey that had been destroyed in orbit of the Qu’Vat Colony, they began to, essentially, splice it in with great caution. They did this in part because they feared human augments being staffed on ships would overwhelm the empire.

It worked, - how amazing right?!, - creating stronger and more intelligent Klingons, but a lot of the subjects that were used in these experiments began to show more physically human characteristics, from the simple to the blatantly obvious, including personality changes, namely cowardice due to them being more cautious before entering a fight, and loss of, - YOU GUESSED IT, - the well known forehead ridges!

             

( _pictured: Klingon ridges dissolving due to augment DNA being used. also, a good Klingon ‘O’ face._ )

One of the test subjects they used, however, had the Levodian flu, and the mixing of the flu with the augment DNA pretty much messed up all the controlled experimentation by the researchers and created an epidemic that nearly killed all the klingons.

Still with me?

 _Millions_ within _months_ were infected.  
  
The researchers scrambled to attempt to find a cure. First, attempting to capture Doctor Arik Soong led nowhere as, lo and behold, the doctor was in a high security detention facility. Their next attempt was with Doctor Phlox with Phlox being forced to work with Antaak, the main Klingon researcher, to find that cure.

Problem is that the Klingon High Council got really tired of waiting for them to get it finished, and went on to destroy infected colony planets to clear the virus.

Basically, the research team was put under a heavy clock with nothing else to do but to not cure the virus, but stabilize it, because it would apparently take them _weeks_ to try and make the cure. They were successful in stabilizing it early on in the infection, -  after the cranial ridges had dissolved and some minor neural re-ordering had occurred (which caused the personality changes), - and with the help of Admiral Krell, they called off the destruction of the planets! The cure was made with the new amount of time and was passed around, helping solve the problem of the whole dying and mass extinction thing. Totally awesome, right?

Problem is, the cure also caused many Klingons to _lose their brow ridges_.

               

( _Antaak with his ridges, prior to the cure being administered. so serious._ )

               

( _Oh! And there they go, - poof! \- post cure!_)

Thing is, _any_ descendants of these Klingons would pass on the genetic human-like appearance.

This all happened back in _2154!_

             

( _these are some familiar faces! the days of shimmery, glitter clothing, bless._ )

The Klingons we see in TOS are placed around _2267_ are the descendants of those _same_ Klingons!

No one in the Federation really thought much else about it because they simply didn’t know any other Klingons aside from them!

Among the Klingon researchers and some of the population, there was a great worry that these same Klingons would be considered outcasts due to their appearance and mental and personality changes, - cowardice, in example, was one such problem due to the augment DNA making them more intelligent, more careful about battles - but, were later on able to hold positions of power, even receiving the title of Dahar Master and getting their statues in the Hall of Heros on Qo’noS -  like, ie. General Kor in TOS which many people are familiar with!

Later on, it was available to some to get the brow ridges cosmetically added back on; however, there may have been more done, medically, that helped reinsert the Klingon head ridges as we see them from TNG and later on.

HOWEVER.

ALL OF THAT SAID.

HERE COMES MY HEADCANON OR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SITUATION FOR WHAT WE SEE IN STAR TREK: DISCOVERY.

Some times, Klingons considered these ‘augmented’ Klingons to be lesser then and were not ‘True Klingons’, - and as far as I remember, this is a thing that was talked about in canon as well, - and lo and behold, the idea of purity comes into play!

Forget that it’s a fucking dick move to do, let’s try and keep Klingons _pure_ , guys!

How do we keep Klingons pure?

_Marry between the royal houses of the High Council.  
_

_OBVIOUSLY._

To us, that may seem weird and a little squicky, but consider that this is something that royal families in _our_ past have done on multiple occasions! It wouldn’t be that far off from thinking that the Klingon royal houses would due the same! Due to this, there have been lots of medical and genetic problems due to families attempting to keep the line pure.

Anywhere from reduced intelligence or personality changes to physical deformities, - larger, oddly shaped heads, cleft lips, blood disorders, - to plenty else. 

While it seems that the Klingons in Disco are still, obviously, intelligent, it comes to our understanding that their physical differences are much different to what we have come to understand to be the norm in a standard Klingon. 

             

( _oh hello there, t'kumva, you lookin' good, my man._ )

The ridges are more aggressive, pushing out the profile as well as following the line of the neck into their armour, the brows heavier, the noses wider with two nostrils and no dip slope of the nose, no hair, oddly shaped heads due to the size of the ridges, most likely, smaller ears pressed closer to the skull,  more slurring due to possible throat differences, and harsher, grating noises in the throat that we don’t normally hear even in normal Klingons.

Then again, that last one may be more due to a possible dialect change for spoken Klingon in the High Council or a possible House dialect, which, could also be possible. This is, after all, an alien language that we only know one side of thanks to TNG and onward. 

I don’t know, my xenolinguistics is a little rusty!

             

( _can i get the comm number for your tailor? or would it be a blacksmith?_ )

Moving on to their armour, check out this _utterly stunning_ costume design!

The Klingons in Disco wear more ornamental armour then we’re accustomed to seeing, sharp and almost decorative in design, and possibly breakable, though I wouldn’t advise testing it!

However, these _are_ Klingons, and while they don’t seem practical, you can be _damn_ sure that they’re supposed to be used in combat even if they look like the way do here.

I mean come on, stabby shoulder pads?

T’Kumva, - pictured above, - is wearing something a lot more decorative then what the rest of his people are shown wearing. A higher collar, sharpened points, aggressive, bold lines in a gold alloy trim, black leathers being the main base point with the gold being the accent, decorated the collar and points of the spikes with what looks to be red stones. It seems he’s even wearing a house crest on his abdomen, though that may still be a design choice to go with the chest and collar piece pattern.

                   

( _i present to you, the peanut gallery._ )

Let’s take a look at the others in his ‘court’.

Their style is simpler, with lower collars, with drabber and less prominent colour and designs with no aggressive lines or defining markers of a Klingon house. Less decorative and more practical. I wouldn’t think these Klingons to be servants, but maybe they are, or maybe they’re lesser nobles from lesser houses, who knows! There are distinct colours to their outfits! Where T'Kumva is black and gold, gilded in finery to show his rank, those beneath him are wearing reds and grays and whites. While they all seem to be a uniform party, there are distinct differences among the people themselves, showing that there could be multiple houses or those of similiar houses running together here! 

Then again, I might be breaking this down a little _too_ much.

That aside, there is a harsh difference between their armour styles and the way T’Kumva wears his. Compared to the almost artistic style of their T'Kumva, these seem like proper war outfits, scaled with proper shielding and layering, replicating the Klingon ridges we see. 

           

( _you ever look this cool screaming? i wish i did._ )

Now, that said, take a look at T'Kumva and his people again.

Would you say looking at them that they're something fancy, something important?

I would.

I'd put some credits down on that.

They’re from royal houses with those serving under them considered of their house, so obviously they’re going to wear what, to us, would be overly fancy, formal clothes, but with much more practical use to keep you from, you know, _dying_?

They _totally_ have assassins.

The design and style of them, from their armour to their physical appearance, even to their spoken words, phrases, and language, they _are_ different, but not quite different enough, to not be Klingon.

All of this points to the factor that the houses have been inbreeding within their own genetic lines over a possibly lengthy time, - Disco happens a decade prior to TOS and the virus happened 113 years in the past, a decent time for gestation and passing of genetic material dependent on Klingon breeding and reproduction standards, - and have slowly pushed further and further out from what is commonly known as the standard Klingon. 

Who knows, maybe they’ve been doing this for centuries?

 

 

I understand that people are upset about the design change due to something they have always known being shifted so drastically, I get it, but consider what I said!

What we are seeing, the Klingon High Council and their houses, could quite literally be extremely inbred specimens born from attempts of keeping the blood line _pure_.

 

I’m totally open for comments, critique, and further speculation if anyone wants to add more to this or to argue this!

IwlIj jachjaj! Qapla’!

**Author's Note:**

> Talk to me on tumblr!  
> grimminsanity.tumblr.com
> 
> Let's hash out Star Trek and world build together!


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